Key questions

This page covers some common questions men and women ask about fertility and cancer. Some of your responses to these questions will depend on your personal views and preferences.

You should seek independent legal advice for complex fertility
questions. For example:

If my partner dies after we’ve stored embryos, would they have
been willing for me to use the embryos?

What are the rules and ethical considerations about donating
unused embryos?

If I use a surrogate, what are the issues I need to consider?

If my child is conceived using donor tissue, what are their rights
at age 18?

Should I have a child after I’ve
had cancer?

The way you think and feel about having a child will
probably be affected by the diagnosis. Some people are
reluctant to start a family because they worry about dying or
doubt their ability to physically and emotionally raise a child.
Others do have a child after cancer.

There is no simple answer to this personal question. You
should seek advice from a fertility specialist or counsellor,
who can talk through the pros and cons of your situation.
If you have a partner, you may want to discuss your family
plans together. This question list may help you
to consider this.

When should I discuss fertility
or see a specialist?

It’s best to talk about your fertility options before cancer
treatment begins. Your oncologist will be able to refer you
to a fertility specialist and may help you get an appointment
before you start treatment.

If you don’t have the opportunity to see a fertility specialist
before treatment, ask your GP or oncologist for a referral to
discuss your future options.

What is my risk of infertility?

The American organisation Livestrong provides reproductive
information for people affected by cancer, including an
infertility risk calculator.
Men or women select their cancer type or treatment and the
calculator predicts how their fertility could be affected.

It’s important to remember that this calculator is a general
guide only. You should discuss your individual risk with a
local fertility specialist who can give you personalised advice
and support.

How does age affect fertility
after cancer?

Cancer treatment plays a large role in determining your
fertility, but your age also affects it.

Women

Age is considered the greatest indicator of future
pregnancies for women. Regardless of cancer, the older you
are, the harder it becomes to fall pregnant.

The younger you are at the time of cancer treatment,
the less likely you are to become infertile. Generally, it’s
expected that a woman who is treated with chemotherapy
before the age of 30 is more likely to get pregnant after
treatment has finished.

However, you may be at risk of premature ovarian failure
and/or early menopause.

Men

Fertility levels naturally decline between the ages
of 40–50. Cancer treatment can cause infertility in men of
all ages, as well as boys who have not reached puberty at the
time of their treatment.

Does having periods mean a
woman is fertile?

Women’s periods (menstruation) may stop or become
irregular as a result of some cancer treatments. If periods
stop permanently (menopause), this causes infertility.

A woman sometimes regains her periods after finishing
treatment, but this may or may not indicate she is fertile.

Doctors don’t always know how each person’s body will
react to their particular treatment. Some women return to
a normal reproductive state within a couple of months of
finishing treatment, but some don’t.

If I’m fertile after treatment,
should I use frozen tissue?

In general, it’s considered better to conceive naturally using
fresh eggs or sperm you are producing. If you stored sperm,
eggs or embryos before treatment, talk to your fertility
specialist about your options, including if you would like to
use them and how long you would like to keep them.

How long can reproductive tissue
be frozen?

Sperm, eggs and embryos can be stored for many years, even
decades. There have been some cases where healthy children
have been successfully produced from sperm that was frozen
for 30 years.

"Advances in medical technology helped treat my
cancer, then gave my wife and I the chance to become
parents. I’m amazed at what was possible." – Craig

Do fertility treatments cause cancer?

There are no direct links between fertility treatments and
cancer. However, some fertility treatments require you to
take additional hormones or stimulate your hormones,
and it’s still unknown how safe this is for people with
hormone-sensitive cancer. Talk to your cancer or fertility
specialist about the risks associated with fertility treatment.

Will having children cause cancer
recurrence?

Research shows that pregnancy does not increase the chances
of cancer recurrence. However, studies have mainly focused
on women with breast cancer. Further studies are being done,
so it’s best to discuss this issue with your specialist. See more
information about pregnancy and cancer below.
Studies to date also suggest that survival rates for people who
have children after cancer treatment are as good as for those
who don’t have children after treatment.

Some people wonder how long they should wait to conceive after
cancer treatment. This depends on many factors, including the type
of cancer, so discuss the timing with your doctor. Some specialists
advise waiting two years after a cancer diagnosis. This may be to
allow your body to recover, or to see if you have cancer recurrence
during this time.

Are children of cancer survivors
likely to have health problems?

Research to date suggests that children born to cancer
survivors (after treatment has ended) are no more likely to
have birth defects than the general population.

Studies show that if one or two parents have a history of
cancer, their child is at no greater risk of getting cancer than
anyone else. The exception is if cancer runs in the family
through a faulty gene. For more information, see when
cancer genes are present.

However, some fertility techniques may be associated with
a slightly higher risk of birth defects that aren’t linked to
cancer. One example is intracytoplasmic sperm injection.
Your fertility specialist or genetic counsellor is the most
qualified person to give you up-to-date information about
the risks of particular treatments.

If I didn’t preserve my fertility
treatment, do I still have options?

Yes, however your fertility options will depend on your sex,
cancer type, treatment type, age and how much time has
passed since treatment ended.

"My oncologist wanted to start treatment as soon as
possible, so it was a case of my obstetrician and oncologist
deciding on a day to deliver my son, then start my cancer
treatment. He was delivered safely at 32 weeks." – Lily

What if I was already pregnant
at diagnosis?

Being diagnosed with cancer during pregnancy is rare –
about one in 1000 women are affected.

It may still be possible to have cancer treatment during
pregnancy. The potential risks and benefits need to be
discussed before treatment begins. Sometimes treatment can
be delayed until after the birth. If necessary, chemotherapy
can be safely used after the first trimester (12+ weeks).

Some women diagnosed with cancer in early stages of
pregnancy decide to terminate it so they can immediately start
chemotherapy. For women wishing to breastfeed, learning that
this is not possible during chemotherapy may be distressing.

What are my options if I don’t
want to use fertility treatments?

Giving birth or getting your female partner pregnant aren’t
the only ways to become a parent – see other paths to
parenthood. Alternatively, some people decide not to
have children.